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review

Tortec Expedition front rack

8
£39.99

VERDICT:

8
10
The Expedition is a good performer and the adjustability makes it easy to fit
Weight: 
685g
Contact: 
www.zyro.co.uk

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Tortec Expedition front rack is a cleverly designed unit that allows a degree of flexibility in fitting without adding too much weight or complexity to the design. It's easy to fit, and in use is stable and reliable.

The fitting flexibility comes from a redesigned top mounting position. It's a circular insert drilled with three holes, that fits into a mount in the rack. You can bolt through any of the holes and also rotate the insert, meaning that you should be able to make the Expedition rack work with your low rider mounts even if they're a bit out from the usual position.

The rack itself is 10mm alloy tubing, welded into a figure-of-eight design as opposed to the more usual quadrilateral frame. An arch over the front wheels adds stiffness to the structure and stops the racks rotating on the mount points which can lead to failure.

In use, the Expedition rack was simple to fit and use. Okay, it's a bit more fiddly to put together than a standard rack with a simple bolt slot, but it's not like you need an engineering degree and the whole assembly was up and running in ten minutes. Strapping some panniers to the rack was also straightforward; the 10mm tube profile should fit most panniers and there's plenty of room to attach a bottom hook. Filled up with deliberately heavy stuff – more weight than you'd normally pack in your front panniers – the rack was well behaved and stable. The maximum load is 15kg which, mated with a 25kg rear rack, would give you 40kg of capacity; enough for a big tour.

Verdict

The Expedition is a good performer and the adjustability makes it easy to fit. It's decent value too.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Tortec Expedition front rack

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Perfect for the serious tourer looking for maximum load-carrying capability, the Expedition front rack carries panniers at low height to minimize the effect on steering. Unique fork mounting plates allow fitting to a variety of forks and ensure an easy fit.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

* Heavy duty lightweight design

* Tig welded 10mm Alloy tubing

* Fits forks with or without braze ons

* Stainless steel fittings

* Multi adjust fittings

* Max load 15kg

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 190cm  Weight: 98kg

I usually ride: whatever I'm testing...  My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium with SRAM Apex

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

 

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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1 comments

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Pub bike | 10 years ago
0 likes

Not sure about aluminium at all as a material for racks for loaded touring particularly on the front. The part of the rack below the fork is unprotected and can be bent in easily, as my Blackburn rack was by baggage handlers. Aluminium for commuting is not a problem since repairs will not be far away, but a steel or stainless steel rack will bend gracefully whilst the aluminium will bend, then crack, then snap off when you try to bend it back.

In this price range I think it is worth saving up a little more and getting either a Tubus Duo for through-for-fork bosses or the Tara if only on the outside of the fork. These are really solid chrome-moly steel items that come with a long warranty. Both these racks weight around half a kilo so a bit lighter, although loaded up the couple of hundred extra grammes will be noticeable, but going fast down mountains the stability is much be appreciated!

In an ideal world Tubus would make a stainless steel Duo/Tara as the paint wears off the tubing where the bags hold on, and the plastic they provide doesn't last that long.

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